9...with a 200 behind it...

9..with a 200 behind it..

That's how you tend to look at things when you are down 4 scotchs, 2 tequilas and 2 neat vokdas. But viewing 2009 in this intoxicated state got me thinking. Maybe it isn't such a weird perspective after all.

This morning I read A's blog just before i sat to "pen" this one down. One line quoted by her on her latest post I absolutely loved "We need to change our set of problems". Perfect! Problems persist. Solve them and move on.

Thats what every changing digit after the 200 signifies. The 200 represents problems that will ALWAYS persist. The units digit signifies the changing set of problems.

For everyone, 200-8 had its set of problems and setbacks. Leave them behind and ready yourself to face 200-9. And everything the 9 signifies. Happy New Year!:-)


P.S.: Considering my recent state of mind, this blog gives me a new year resolution i need to act on. Leave 200-8 behind me. And enjoy 200-9..:-)

The "Nice Guy" Continuum

I was taught in Services Marketing about the Goods-Services continuum and how goods and services are intertwined as shown below.

Now this is not a marketing lesson. Just establishing a base for a concept that i think draws a perfect parallel to this.

We have all heard the term "Nice guys finish last" tons of times. Why do you think that is so? If our hindi movies are to be believed, Acchai ki burai par hamesha jeet hoti hai(Being nice always wins over being bad). But still nice guys do finish last right? Ive got reasons for that.

Now the picture above shows the "Nice Guy Continuum". Being nice and being bad involves a very thin line. The only similarity with both of them is that they are at the bottom of the heap in their respective classes.

The Nice guy always has a Nicer guy above him. And the both of them have the Nicest guy above them at the top of the pile. He is the one who gets all the spoils. The best job, the best girl, the best car, the best popularity rankings etc etc. Ofcourse, to climb up this contimuum requires certain peculiar qualities. Intelligence, humlity, respect of other humans are trivial virtues present only in the "Nice" guy. These hold no value. The "Nicest" guy has money, good looks, kick ass attitude, shark - eat - shark instinct, suave mannerisms, ability to handle inflated egos of pretty women, not too much of a conscience etc etc. To move up the continuum these qualities are absolutely necessary and are savagely sought after.

The "Nice" guy is always only nice enough to be a "friend". He always gets lines like.."You are a great friend" or "I respect you (only) as a friend". There is always an only hidden somewhere. Since he is at the bottom of the heap, friend is the only way he can go. Hence he also gets lines like "I dont look at you in that way" etc etc. The "Nice" guy is the one you say you are with when you dont want to get into trouble with your parents for being out late.... He is also the guy with whom the girl's boyfriend trusts her to go out for a cup of coffee with... The "Nice" guy is always "safe" to be with! The nice the guy is the one whom you know you can stand up and still be sure he wont mind or get mad. Hes also the guy who you know wont mind if you forget to invite him for a party. The fact is that he is the guy who is, as John Rambo (In First Blood II) put it, expendable. It doesnt really make a difference whether hes there or not.

Now the Bad guy is also the worse of the lot. He sucks at being bad. He is the one who always get caught, busted, made the fall guy etc etc. He cant even be good at being bad! The Baddest are the ones who are pure evil, but without getting caught. They are the best at being bad! Dawood, Osama - Bin - Laden, Carlos etc etc. Being bad just aint as good as being the Worse!

So as you can see, the Nice guy is actually the loser of the pack. The phrase "Nice guy" is actually an euphemism meant to make the "Nice" guys feel good about themselves.

I think i know where in I lie in that continuum. To be honest, I'd love to be at the top of the pile atleast once. But some of those "qualities" needed to move "up" in life i just dont have! And some i think iam better off without.

"Nice guys finish last".... Ofcourse they do..The are ALREADY last!

One flew out of a "Cocooned" nest...

All through my life, in junior college, during engineering, during work and during my MBA I have interacted with numerous people and have made some great friends in the process. Out of all those people there have been many who had come from different parts of the country to my hometown to study/work/straggle/struggle etc etc. And I have always wondered and been amazed at how well people cope up with and adjust to being away from home. I have always admired that!

I stand at a point in my life when I need to move out of my sheltered, cozy, protected life and face a world alien and unknown to me. I have never lived away from home for any extended period of time and that idea, while not scary, is still a little hard to imagine for me. But, that situations has dawned upon me now. And there is no way out this time!:-)

Me being a complete mamma's boy will find it hard to adjust to not having her around. Home cooked food, a washing machine to wash clothes, friends to talk to, family for support, broadband internet, a computer to fall back on, TV and most of all...a comfort zone is what I'll have to do without!

But I think flying out of this cocooned nest WILL open my mind to different horizons and maybe change my "duck in the pond" outlook.

To end this blog I would like to say.."We may sleep in a thousand golden beds, but the one at home, even if it is of straw, is the one where you can sleep the calmest"

"First Mover Advantage"...Really?

As I have mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I am a student of Marketing and tend to think about most things through that perspective. We have a concept in Marketing Strategy called a First Mover Advantage. Before going on to the core subject of this blog, let me elaborate a bit on this concept.

In marketing strategy, a First Mover Advantage is when an organisation is the first to introduce a product in a market. It has relatively no competition(other than a few substitutes) and can enjoy good return on investment for some time by keeping prices high. The also get and advantage in a sense that they build up brand awareness and brand loyalty by the time some significant competition arrives.

Now this marketing analogy is what I would like to use to ponder on something in our normal lives. In the dynamic world of dating(much like the dynamic business enviornment today), everything is "globalised". The world has definitely become flat(no pun intended). Traditionalists(mainly women) would argue that it is always the man who should make the first move. Ask for the phone number, ask for a date, hold hands, kiss etc etc. Now on the face of it, if the same marketing stragey scenario is recreated in this situation, the man should have the traditional First Mover Advantage right? In my opinion...Not quite!

The first move is associated with various pitfalls and brickbats. Rejection(prime problem), loss of "friendship", awkwardness while meeting post the "ask out" etc etc. The only advantage is, you GET a date. Ever ask a girl out and shes not sure(girls seem perpetually unsure and confused nowadays), she will withdraw or on the extreme, freak out(grow up...Your not 13 anymore!!) But she will leave you dangling, wont say no..wont agree. I guess its a way of wielding proxy power over a person. And i am writing this from a male perspective. Hence the reference of girls. Iam sure there are a LOT of guys out there who act in the same way. Since Iam not gay and havent ever asked a guy out, I cant comment on that.:-)

Me, being a simple soul, dont understand the point of all these games. You dont want to go out, say no. If you want to, say yes. How difficult is that?? The guy, by asking the girl out, has compromised his position and is most likely to lose out. So where is the First Mover Advantage?

To end this blog, heres an insight to a lot of people out there...Guys like girls to make the first move sometimes. Try it......

Blog Clog?

Writing blogs is suddenly the "IN" thing nowadays. Anyone who is anyone is writing something or the other. Which is good! The more people learn to express themselves the better for them. But along with this has come the resident evil of Media Attention. People filing defamation cases against each other and all kinds of scrutiny and regulation being proposed for bloggers.

A year back, the Indian government had restricted access to several blog hosting sites in India due to alleged sensitive information realated to terrorist propaganda being displayed on certain blogs. This, in my opinion, IS a genuine concern. But lets get it into perspective. How many people do you think can a blog sensitise? Is the reach of this medium of communication as powerful as say mainstream media? Our mainstream media in itself is not the best regulated in content. So how can we control content on blogs? Is self regulation the answer? In my opinion not completely because this is a medium controlled by polarised individuals and not a collective entity.

Celebrity blogs have also suddenly become a hot topic of discussion for everyone. What did Aamir Khan say about SRK or what did Big B say about someone else being a dog is what hogs news limelight. To be very blunt and frank, WHO THE HELL CARES!!! Why do we give such stupid controversies so much credence? They can call each other by any names that they want. How does it affect you and me? Celebrities use blogs to take pot shots at one another and also as a fundamental right to express their opinion. Which is fair enough. I stiil dont get what all the hullabaloo is about.

Being a student of Marketing, I tend to look at everything from that perspective. Blogs are the new medium of marketing communication being used by many oganisations to promote their products/services at cost which are a fraction of mainstream media. The blogs with the most hits gets the most advertisements. This earns the host blogger a certain amount of money from these companies. Thus it is but natural for him/her to creat good/bad publicity of his/her blog in order to get more hits and thus more revenue. Simple economics right?

Blogs, in my opinion, should be used as a medium for people to express themselves freely. Some things which cannot be said/discussed in person are easier to write. This activity in itself can be very liberating. I have done it myself and can vouch for it So lets treat blogs for what they are...Online versions of what most people call a "Personal Diary"...Maybe we will soon get a movie called "Bridget Jones' Blog"...

Space Age Samosas!

Was watching the news today while having my dinner...Its been quite a few days since the media has been obsessed with Sunita Williams and the return of Atlantis to terra firma...Every move they were making was being tracked...Nice to see so much interest being shown in space missions suddenly!

Now every news channel i see is carrying the story of the return of Atlantis...This gets me thinking, why the sudden interest? Two things come to mind: Since the tragic death of Kalpana Chawla, people in India and all over the world have suddenly realised the dangers of space travel. Till then it seemed like an extremely glamourous and adventurous job. Also, the so called Indian roots of Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams have sparked the interest of the normal Indian citizen in what NASA is doing.

Now, one point that struck me as odd were that the news channels were talking ONLY about Sunita Williams. What about the other astronauts with her? Sunita Williams is just like the other astronauts with her. Shes no more Indian than any of them! Isnt our pride a little misplaced? Lets consider her bio for a moment:

Sunita L. Williams (Commander, USN)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born September 19, 1965 in Euclid, Ohio, but considers Needham, Massachusetts to be her hometown. Married to Michael J. Williams. Although they have no children, Labrador retrievers and a crazy Jack Russell Terrier named Gorby have added their share of excitement to their lives. Recreational interests include running, swimming, biking, triathlons, windsurfing, snowboarding and bow hunting. Her parents, Dr. Deepak (emmigrated from Gujrat in the 60s) and Mrs. Bonnie Pandya(Shes a Slovenian), reside in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

EDUCATION:
Needham High School, Needham, Massachusetts, 1983.
B.S., Physical Science, U.S. Naval Academy, 1987.
M.S., Engineering Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 1995.

ORGANIZATIONS: Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Society of Flight Test Engineers, American Helicopter Association.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded Navy Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and various other service awards.

She is an American by birth! Taking the Bhagwat Gita & an idol of Ganesh along & eating samosas doesnt make someone Indian! In that vein all people eating pizzas should be Italian! Yes she is a PIO(Person of Indian Origin).. Accepted! But why do we want pick out only one individual from a team of very capable astronauts and wish for her safe return JUST because one of her parents are Indian? Arent the others in equal amount of danger? Arent they human beings too? Dont they have families as well? I dont see anyone wishing for the safe return of Atlantis on the whole. Only Sunita Williams! Reportedly, there were school children performing a havan for her safe return. Others with placards wishing her safe return. One news channel was even carrying a clock counting down on the time left for Sunita's return!!Not Atlantis..ONLY Sunita!Isnt this a little too much?

My views on space travel as it is are not very supportive. I personally feel that its all a BIG waste of money. But after having a LONG argument with my girlfriend about this and being the person i am, i am ready to accept that maybe there is some point to it. In future it might help mankind. We have invented satellites to assist us in our fast paced, globalised life. So i guess space travel helps too. Maybe!

Dont get me wrong here. Iam not saying that i dont appreciate what astronauts do. Every job in this world is challenging and theirs' more so. But thats just it. They are doing their job! Thats all!

Bottom line, i think, is that human beings by default are parocial in nature. Another case to point is a powerful leader from Maharashtra supporting Pratibha Patil for President JUST cause she is Maharashtrian. I find it saddening! I guess its easier to associate with someone when u find a common thread binding you to that person. But isn't being human a strong enough thread?

Even i am wishing for the safe return of Atlantis back to terra firma. But not because Sunita Williams is on it. Not because iam Indian. But ONLY because iam human.

P.S.: Last night i wrote this article thinking I am the ONLY one finding all this hullabaloo odd. But apparently I am not. The reason I am editing this post is because there is an article about this very issue in today's (22nd June, 2007) Indian Express titled "Indian Idol?" by Shobhit Mahajan who is a professor of physics and astrophysics at Delhi University. I would like to quote a few excerpts from his article:

"It is remarkable, given her(Sunita's) background millions around India still take pride in her achievements - not as a woman achiever, which she undoubtley is, but as an Indian!"

"Kalpana Chawla was born here (India), spent her formative years here and was educated in India. Thus, there could be some rationale in caling her an Indian-American and take some pride in her achievments as a nation. But the nationalistic pride on display for Sunita is somewhat misplaced."

"Maybe we could learn from Kalpana's favorite quote from the Roman stoic philosopher Seneca -' I was not born for one corner; the whole world is my native land' "

Indian Institutes of Emmigration

If you read the recent headlines in local Pune newspapers, all were proudly proclaiming that 250 students from Maharashtra got selected in various IITs in the country. This is against about 15-20 till recent years. On the face of it, it is a very proud achievement. But in my opinion, it’s not that proud. This article prompted me to write a blog I’ve wanted to write for ages!

First of all, I would like to express my suspicion on the “Kota” courses that most IIT aspirants go through. I somehow smell a scam going down here. What is so different that is taught in Kota as compared to the rest of the country? Why do year after year people from Kota come up trumps in IIT-JEE? Why do people flock to Kota and stay there for a year to prepare for the exam? Is the water there magical? If someone could offer me an explanation, I would be very interested to listen to it!

Recently the IITs made the entrance checks a little more stringent. Minimum 60% needed in the 12th Board exams. Otherwise not eligible to apply! Result? WIDESPREAD protests all over the country. Pitiable I must say. Seriously I mean. You really think someone securing 50 % in the 12th Boards is going to able to handle the IIT course? I don’t think so!

I for one never considered myself to be suited to even appear for the IIT-JEE. WAY over my level of intellectual capacity. I really admire all those who have cleared this test and fought their way into the IITs. Hats off to them! But I am now beginning to see a different perspective to this entire process. I shall elaborate on it a little later in the article.

Let us now move to the IIMs. “THE” place to be if you want to pursue an MBA. Path of entrance? The much feared CAT or the Common Aptitude Test. “Aptitude”. This word seems to have lost its fundamental meaning in modern Indian testing methodology. Aptitude should be something that comes naturally. Not coached. Then why are there COUNTLESS coaching classes claiming to give the BEST training to CAT aspirants to clear the toughest exam in the world?

Is it because the competition is so high that even natural aptitude needs to coached? Ironic isn’t it? But that is the truth in the today’s times. Coaching classes for CAT have mushroomed on every corner and are minting money. Reason? Economics, my dear Watson. Supply must equal Demand!

At this point I would like to add that I too appeared for the CAT and I too had joined a coching class for the same. A few facts I came across were:

The exam isn’t as tough as it is made out to be.
Coaching classes are virtually ESSENTIAL to do well in the exam.
Everyone should give the CAT once in their lives once at least. If nothing else, just for the sheer experience of appearing for the toughest exam in the world.
There are 2,50,000 hopefuls every year vying for 5000 odd seats. That’s a mere 2% hit ratio.
I got a 97 percentile despite getting a big fat ZERO in Maths.

Moral of the story? Don’t let the facts weigh you down. Give it your best efforts. Don’t give it just for the sake of giving it. For all you know, you could get through. Give the CAT and get an experience of your life!

The IITs & IIMs are premier institutes in India for acquiring graduate and post graduate degrees. Their course structure and teaching methodology are unparalleled. They are the best institutes in the country. But what makes these institutes the BEST? The course material? The faculty? Their placement record? None of these! It’s the students that make the institute. If you choose the best students in the country it stands to reason that you will be the best institute in the country. Simple! I would like to see these premier institutes open their doors to below average students and then see if they can maintain their high level of achievement. I would also like to see them give a chance to less fortunate students in this country to get the best education and move forward in life.

Let me elaborate on a story I heard recently. The niece of one of my superiors managed to secure admission in IIT Powai for Civil Engineering. Civil engineering you will ask? Well, she wanted to be ONLY in IIT Powai. Branch didn’t matter. This girl with relentless hard work and her superior intellectual capacity managed to come first in all the 5 IITs! Not a mean achievement by any stretch of imagination. Consequently she received a Presidential Gold medal for it.

Subsequently she went on to pursue her M.S. in Structures in the good ole US of A.(Why am I not surprised?) After which she was picked up by NASA. Again, on the face of it, a very proud achievement. But again, not from my perspective. Allow me to explain.

IITs & IIMs are government backed institutions. Their course fees are subsidized by the Government by the way of grants. These were started way back in the late 1960s in order to impart world class education to thousands of intelligent Indians and use their knowledge so gained to build the country. It was more or less that way for about 35 years. Then came the era of globalization. And it all changed!

People are now taking the best education from our country at subsidized rates and migrating overseas in search of “greener” (pun intended) pastures. As in the example I quoted above, do we need great minds to spend their time trying to put man into space which, on the face of it, is not going to benefit mankind in any perceivable way? Or do we need our great minds to solve the earth’s problems? To try and design a dam structure in such a way that it won’t disintegrate in the event of an earthquake and kill thousands?

Lets get to the crux of the matter then. Why is that the best minds of our country head out and then blame India for not being a progressive nation? Building a nation needs the best of minds working together for a common goal. A lot of readers of this article will say that it is a case of “sour grapes” with me. “You couldn’t go so why you blaming others?” I am not blaming anybody. People should head out and look for so called better prospects. By all means! But please don’t sit overseas and belittle me, my countrymen and my country! After all, a home, even if made of cow dung, is still home! And in a house where you are a guest, even if it is made of gold, you remain a guest no matter what!

Festive spirit...Not a high anymore!

The picture you see alongside here is one the most respected and popular sweet marts in Pune..This picture was taken on the 20th of October, 2006, one day prior to laxmi poojan..

I had gone there to get a box of kaju katli for the people in my father's office..I hadnt been to office to spend anytime with my collegues since i started college..so i thought id go wish everyone happy diwali...so i make my way to this shop and as soon as i enter i see this HUGE crowd of people around the counter..trying to push their way forward and get their share of the various ghee+khoa+sugar preparations..After muscling(as much as is possible for me*chuckle*) my way to the appropriate counter, i ask the person there for 1/2 kg of kaju katli...hes busy filling boxes after boxes of the same sweet...he just nods his head and continues with his work...now when people who have come in after me start to get their demands, i get my back up...so the man there tells me that i have been asking the wrong person...i roll my eyes and ask him to give me the sweet then...

After aquiring that prized possession, i make my way to the cash counter...whcih has a HUGE line for paying...i roll my eyes again...after i get to the counter the man rudely tells me "Gimme 200 bucks!!"...i feel like sounding him off then and there..but then bite my toungue...dont think that would make too much of a difference...i DONT wish him Happy Diwali and walk out...

As i ride on my way to office, i cant help wondering as to what have we all sunk to?...Has the purpose of celebrating diwali come to the point that people have to walk over each other to buy something as insignificant as sweets?..Is diwali charachterised by eating and binging out or by spending time with family, spreading love and in general being nice to one another?...These are questions we need to ask ourselves as we propel ourselves into the 21st century...Do we want to follow traditions or do we want to live life the Capitalist,modernist way?...cause both cant co-exist in harmony...its bound to blow up somewhere!

When Love and Hate Collide...

"You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind,

Instead of slamming down the phone girl, for the hundredth time,

I got your number on my wall, but I ain't gonna make that call,

When divided we stand baby, united we fall,

Got the time got a chance gonna make it,

Got my hands on your heart gonna take it,

All I know I can't fight this flame,

You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind,

Cause I'm crazy 'bout you baby, time after time,

Without you,

One night alone Is like a year without you baby,

Do you have a heart of stone,

Without you,

Can't stop the hurt inside,

When love and hate collide"

When Love and Hate Collide - Def Leppard

Till today, this song to me was just another classic by a rock group that ruled the charts in the 80s and early 90s. Great lyrics, great music, great soul in the way it was sung. However, today i really understood what these lyrics meant. I understood, cause i felt them. Felt every word. Cause thats what was happening to me! I was associating my every action to the lyrics in the song.

Every failed relationship gives its share of harships to both the affected parites. But why is that one always gets more hurt than the other? Is it because this person has seen more into the relationship than there really is? Is he/she still hoping for a rebound relationship? That his/her partner might return to them? The answer to all these questions 9/10 times will be in the affirmitve. But why subject ourselves to this torture? I am doing it and iam asking myself the same question. Why? Its time to move on. Shes moved on effortlessly. I can do it too. Its simple right? Yup! Simple to say it. Difficult to do!

Fact of the matter is as long as you have feelings for your ex-partner, every contact with him/her is going to bring back memories,(good and bad), regrets, "if only" questions and subsequently emotional torture. So what is this a result of? Love? Hate? I really dont know the answer.

What i do know is that there is no place for love or hate after a relationship has ended. If there is place for anything, its memories. Good memories. Cherish the good times you had together and move on...Dont let love and hate collide...the resultant bang could wipe you out..

My feelings right now prompt me to lyricise another great song:

"I still got your face,

painted on my heart,

carved upon my soul,

etched upon my memory baby,

I got your kiss, still,

burning on my lips,

Touch of your fingertips,

You smell's so deep,

inside me baby"

Painted On My Heart - The Cult (OST - Gone in Sixty Seconds)

The Wrong Right!

Anyone who has driven on the roads of Pune will have to believe in the fact the GOD exists...Such is the chaos..the narrow lanes, the INFINITE number of 2 wheelers, those 3 wheeled monsters called rickshaws, the "yam" of the motoring world i.e. the PMT bus, countless fat cats in their cars which resemble a moving bank account...These motoring specimens are seemingly different from each other..but they have one very important factor..or "quality" if i may use the term...in common....INTOLERANCE TOWARDS TRAFFIC RULES!!...and complete ignorance of the basic rules of safe and responsible driving....

In Pune, the traffic light is like a ornament...just there to light up.....not to be paid much heed too....Lets consider a classic case of a group of motorists waiting at a red light....one or two renegades will blow the light and take off....even if there is still a solid 90 secs for the light to go green....next type of specimens are those who "crawl"...meaning move an inch forward against every second counting down on the timer...so by the time the light goes green they are already halway into the intersection...then there are those specimens who take off with about 10 secs left..do these 10 secs of not waiting make their life any better?...what difference is 10 secs going to make in wherever they want to reach??..

THE WRONG RIGHT

Illustrated above on the right is the most common, hopelessly careless and completely wrong way of taking a right turn...It never seems to amaze me as to how anyone can anyone be so daft so as to take such a risk....as I have shown its very obviously a death trap...While the illustration on the left is the correct way to take a right turn...not too difficult is it??...

Another classic case of stpidity is talking on the cellphone while riding/driving....Who prompts these nitwits to take such risks beats me!...I have seen people riding motorbikes with their cellphones tucked in between their ears and shoulders..heads tilted to one side...and talking away to glory....dont they realise that they are endangering other peoples' lives besides their own??...is a phone call more important than others' and our own well being??

I can list out countless other small and little traffic violations going on everyday around us all the time..to name a few...from seemingly innocuos things like double parking or using high beam while night driving to more serious ones like driving from the opposite side in a one way street or not using indicators or hand signals while taking turns or overtaking....I think this is all a result of inadequete training and the citizens' blatant disregard for authority of any kind.....the only way to bring about a rennaissance in this matter is to impose strict fines and put stringent rules into place for traffic violaters....we as a people have always needed an iron hand to put us to task...and its about time that someone donned the mantle and brought about a sea change in the traffic situation in our metros....500 vehicles get registered in Pune alone everyday....You do the maths....

To sum up, students from Symbiosis Institute of International Business recently conducted a study about breaking of traffic norms in the city(The Times of India, 21st April, 2006)..Their findings were that....75% riders flouted the compulsary helmet rule....there was blatant no parking violations...triple seat driving...talking on the cellphone while driving..the works... 16% of two wheelrers, 9% of Three wheelers and 5% of four wheelers violated the traffic light rule...If you ask me these must be percentages of the people who obeyed it!!..We are headed towards total motoring disaster if we dont pull up our socks...Today..NOW!

David & Golliath?

Catastrophe struck the coast of New Orleans last week Hurricane Katrina ripped through the coastline leaving thousands dead and lacs homeless. A month and a half back, the same happened in our very own Mumbai. A typhoon rippd through the city and left thousands dead and homeless. See some similarities in my sentence construction?.Well, if according to this data received by me on email is anything to go by, the similarities dont end here. Read on..Its very interesting...

1. Inches of rain in new orleans due to hurricane katrina... 18
Inches of rain in mumbai (July 27th).... 37.1
2. Population of new orleans... 484,674
Population of mumbai.... 12,622,500
3. Deaths in new orleans within 48 hours of katrina...100
Deaths in mumbai within 48hours of rain.. 37.
4. Number of people to be evacuated in new orleans...entire city..wohh
Number of people evacuated in mumbai...10,000
5. Cases of shooting and violence in new orleans...Countless
Cases of shooting and violence in mumbai.. NONE
6. Time taken for US army to reach new orleans...48hours
Time taken for Indian army and navy to reach mumbai...12hours
7. Status 48hours later...new orleans is still waiting for relief, army and electricty
Status 48hours later..mumbai is back on its feet and is business is as usual
8. USA...world's most developed nation
India...third world country.

If these stats are anyting to go by, this is definitely a case of David triumphing over Goliath.Obviously our dear Chief Minister Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh read these stats.Or something similar.Cause he was quick to point out that "They (American relief operators) are still perplexed at how to control the situation...compared to them, we did well". Capice!

But this brings us to an important question doesnt it?..Are all administrations like ours?...The Americans knew one week in advance that Katrina was going to hit..then why did so many people die?....Same in Mumbai?..Rumours have it that the typhoon was predicted before hand..but the administration chose not to take the caution seriously...well...food for thought right?

All I can say...thousands of lives were lost when a majority of them could have been isolated from the tragedy...somehow the will to do good has been superceeded by the lust for money.... but as I say....where there isnt a way....There is God!..

Right Next Door To Hell!

Well...travel along any road in Pune!..What is that you notice?....Daredevil bike riders?...Bandit queens...or putli bai as they are fondly called?..foul mouthed rickshaw drivers?...cars with drivers who treat the world as their own personal spitoon?....smoky PMTs?...Well all of the above..Plus one more very important ingredient!..POTHOLES!...All these make up for one deadly recipie. Everyday when i get out of my house to go anywhere, the words that leave Aai's mouth without fail are "Savkash Ja" (drive carefully)!

As we all know this year Maharashtra has been hit with torrential rain. As a result and as expected..the roads have taken a terrible beating...the roads resemble the scene of a landmine blast..this has been the condtion for the past two and a half months.Mr. Kareer (the municipal commissioner) has been assuring us that the roads would be repaired on top priority..well..they repaired them all right..by filling them with bricks, stones, mud and god knows what else...not a single drop of bitumen..."temporary repairs" they call them...temporary all right..raises everybody's "temper"....

These potholes by themselves are a major safety hazard for drivers especially those on two wheelers...but by filling them up with bicks and mud and finishing it off with khadi (loose stones) is not making matters any more rosy...this is a major factor for vehicles skidding especially if the loose stones are peppered around a bend in the road..But the PMC still maintains that they have repaired the roads.

But alas!When it rains again, these so called repaired potholes get transformed into pits of slush...all that mud mixing up with water and making matters worse...and when its not raining all this dust rises up and increases the SPM level dramatically...making it a nighmare driving thru these clouds of dust.....also this damages the vehicles to a certain extent...ruined suspension components...nuts and bolts working themselves loose...wires shorting out ...Grrrrrr.....

I wish someone somewhere will see some sense soon...and get atleast some of the corruption out of their systems....this so called shortage of bitumen is non existant...nobody in their right mind is gonna believe that we have a shortage of bitumen for 3 months...this apathy is hurting the business chances of Pune in its goal of being the IT capital of India...the more the PMC spends on roads the more revenue they will generate..through increased business activity..wake up and smell the coffee Mr. Kareer!...Ofcourse these bad roads are giving back specialists a lot of business...peoples backs(incuding mine!!) are taking a severe beating..But thanks to the gas charged dampers on my bike i am isolated from the undulations on the road to a fair extent....

Petrol has hit Rs. 50/- in Pune..God bless us all!

Water Water Everywhere But Not a Drop To Drink!

We are all very well aware as to what happended on Terrible Tuesday. Mother nature got fed up with all the abuse treated out to her since the last 50 years in Mumbai and finally retaliated. And with immense fury!3000 lives!Not a death toll you would associate due to a typhoon in one of the top cities of the world.

Let us dissect this a bit shall we? Why did so many people lose their lives?Part of the reason was panic. Most of them were caught in this kind of situation for the first time in their lives. And trust me, no matter what anyone says, it is very difficult to think rationally in these kind of situations. We have not been given the adequete disaster training for a flood. Elementary things that doors of a car will NOT open if the car is submerged in water.Why is this so? Because no one ever imagined a FLOOD could ever occur in Mumbai.A tsunami maybe. But a flood?.Well Terrible Tuesday has answered this question for us.

This flood did not occur directly due to heavy rain. There is no rain cloud in the world that could make water rise upto 15 ft in 3 minutes. This was a ghastly mix of bad maintenance, shortsightedness, greed and sheer bad luck! Why do i say greed? The answer lies in 3 important words: Bandra-Kurla Complex! After this fiasco happened people came out with the information that the planning commitee had been advised against building the Bandra-Kurla Complex since it was blocking the overflow path of the Meethi river and was going to be built totally on marshy and reclaimed land. But greed and shortsightedness overcame common sense and the complex was built. And we are all seeing the repurcussions now.

People blame the BMC for poor maintenance. Fine. They are guilty for that. But the fact remains that these drains are abused and used by one and all as their own personal garbage dump. When the storm water drains in the Andheri and Sakinaka area were opened to be cleaned, they were found chocked with animal bones, plastic bags, paper pulp and god knows what other goop;mainly thrown there by the various restaurants in the vicinity.

Let us look at the commercial aspect of this all. HUGE LOSSES! Sums it up doesnt it?Roads, cars, offices, godowns, raw material, finished goods: You name it and it will be in the washed away or destroyed list. Peoples homes, cars, valuable, cherished belongings, memories, their whole lives washed away in one sweep! Even the insurance companies stand to lose in this bargain. Everyone but one species of Human beings lost on this day. Who gained?But of course, the sleaze of red tapism...the bureaucrats and so called public servants!Centre sanctions Rs. 500 crore as relief!. Moments later a meeting is called at a bureaucrat's house to discuss how best to siphon off this money.And reflief?Yeah distribute a food packet here and there. Make a few public assurances and appearances. Mission accomplished!

So who is to blame for this?The BMC?Yes. The rain gods?YES. The city planner?YES. The people of Mumbai?YES. Why do i say this?Cause even the people abuse the city to our own benifit. Throw trash on the road, in drains, spit as and where we please, walk our pets on public roads, show total disregard for authority:It all adds up and one day you get everything back with interest. My heart goes out to all those affected by this flood. It must have been a harrowing time for one and all. But we should consider this as a warning and seriously introspect as to how we can contribute to making all our cities greener, safer and all in all better places to live in.

Age needs to be respected.Not shunned!

Try taking a walk through Kamala Nehru Park in Erandawane nowadays.What meets the eye?Well besides the usual kickle cackle of children and concerned and loving parents tending to them?The answer is, well, old people!Lots and lots of old people.Some sit on the park bench with their spouses sharing a tender moment lost in time, some sit and stare in space, some are involved in laughter clubs, some are actively strolling by(much faster and longer than me much to me embarrasment!!!).

I feel the respet for older folks has gone down a great deal in today's world. All over the globe. America has always been rude to their elders. Thats a well documented fact. But what worries me is that this phenomenon is creeping its way into India too. Which is a very worrying sign. While we are picking up a lot of good stuff from the West, we dont need to pick up the bad too.Ill give you a very personal example to this whole scenario. During my engineering days, i used to travel by bus to college. Now we are all pretty much aware of the pathetic state of PMT buses. More people stand than sit. but what used to disturb me that strapping young youths would stay put in their seats even if a aged person was standing right next to them. Even young girls. Where is the respect and dignity for the elders gone?I dont think our parents brought us up with such values. We must have messed up somewhere ourselves!

I am myself not absolved of all balme. Nor am i trying to be a purist. Heck, i am not the kindest or the most considerate son. Nor grandson. But thats my point exactly. Through various personal experiences i have come to the realisation that the old saying is really very true. Old age is really nothing but a second childhood. Older people need the same kind of tender loving care and attention that children do. The only difference being,you have to give back to old people what you have received from them!

To wrap this up id like to say that while living for yourself is importnat, living for others is also equally important. Our parents need our support in their old age. We owe it to them. It is one of the biggest virtues of us Indians as a people: Our respect for elders! Let our generation be the flagbearers of this virtue!